Travel insurance should be purchased as soon as you would like to be covered for the cancellation of your holiday. On that basis, it is recommended that travel insurance is purchased as soon as your first trip payment is made, even if this is only a small deposit.
For Single Trip policies, your cancellation cover begins immediately after payment, and all other benefits on the same policy come into effect on the day you travel.
For Annual Multi-Trip policies, it is up to you to decide when you wish your cancellation cover to begin. The cover begins on the commencement date of the policy, so make sure you select the correct start date to receive cancellation cover.